


180 degrees

by adamantbynature



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Mutual Pining, Past Relationship(s), Polyamory, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn, Swearing, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-06-07 13:17:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15219968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adamantbynature/pseuds/adamantbynature
Summary: Kyle knows that he shouldn't be having those feelings. He knows that, for the sake of everyone, he should just keep them hidden.If only Stan Marsh wasn't so goddamn hard to forget about.(Slowburnish Stendyle because they are my OT3 and they're way too underrated AKA the angsty poly fanfic nobody asked for)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!
> 
> So, this is actually the first fan fiction I've ever written, it's a little something I started to relieve some of the stress I've been experiencing lately. I haven't written (period) in ages, so I'm a little rusty, but I'm having a great time doing it and I truly hope that you will enjoy reading my story!

Chapter 1 – KYLE  
  
There were many virtues that Kyle Broflovski dared to call his own, but patience was definitely not one of them.  Despite having made major improvements on his impulse control over the years, which most people simply credited to him growing up rather than working hard on becoming a better person, he had his limits. That combined with his inability to keep calm in stressful situations made for quite the explosive mix.  
  
He had been trying his best to ignore the frustrated groans coming from the other side of the room for a while now. Inhaling deeply, he finished reading the paragraph and underlining some phrases before loudly slamming his book shut and directing his attention at the boy sprawled out on his bed.  
  
Stan had obviously given up on studying a while ago, his face buried in the sheets with pages of notes loosely scattered around his head. Occasionally, a muffled noise of frustration could be heard from his direction. Kyle threw the pencil he held in hand, hitting Stan in the back of his head. He immediately turned to face Kyle – he had obviously only been waiting for someone to acknowledge his misery – and pouted while bringing one hand up into his black hair, rubbing the place he was hit.  
  
“What is it this time, Stan?”  
  
„Dude, this fucking sucks. There is no way in hell I’ll ever understand any of this shit, no matter how hard I try. I might as well just stop.”

“No one is holding you back from stopping, but don’t you think you should at least let _us_ work in peace, honey?”, a calm voice came from the opposite side of the room.  
  
Wendy sat on the floor with her legs crossed, not even looking up from the huge book in her lap in as she reprimanded her boyfriend, her eyes continuing to scan the pages. Her short, dark hair was properly tucked behind her ears so it wouldn’t bother her while reading. She had spontaneously decided to ditch her signature, waist-length mane and opt for a bob during the summer and Kyle had to admit, she fucking rocked the look.

He admired her for her ability to stay composed at all times - her personality sure contrasted his a lot in that aspect.  
  
Stan only replied with an unsatisfied grunt, to which she finally rose her head.  
  
“You know, I’m sure you wouldn’t be having such a hard time if you would actually study _with_ us, and not just kind of next to us.”, she told him as she lifted her arms above her head, stretching her back. Kyle tried not to cringe as her joints cracked loudly.  
  
This situation had become a weekly occurrence for them. Both Kyle and Wendy had always spent a lot of their time studying. Stan however belonged to the group of people who never really wasted too much energy worrying about their performance at school – until senior year rolled around, that is.  
For the longest time, he had no clear plan of what he wanted to do in the future. With no goal to work towards, he mostly spent his time slacking off and participating in pretty much every bigger sport Park County High School had to offer.  
This summer however, while volunteering at the local shelter, he had a revelation: He wanted to become a vet.  
  
Needless to say, his grades were not cut out for his newfound dream. But when your best friend and your girlfriend are some of the smartest people that have ever walked the ground of the shithole of a town that is South Park, Colorado… well, there’s got to be a way to utilize that.  
  
And alas, their bi-weekly study sessions were born. Except, not really. Wendy and Kyle had actually been studying together on a regular basis since sophomore year. With them taking many of the same classes and always trying to be at the top of their game, it only made sense. However, up until now, it was always something Stan had stayed away from whenever possible, even making excuses in the rare occasion that he was invited, which of course, neither of the two honor students ever believed.  
  
“Wendy’s got a point. You should just get over yourself and ask us for help if you have trouble understanding something instead of drowning in self-pity. Jesus Christ, that’s what we’re here for, dumbass.”, Kyle remarked, locking eyes with Stan once again.  
  
He swore that he was able to see some emotion that he couldn't quite put his finger on in his blue orbs, but the other boy quickly averted his gaze, hiding part of his face in Kyle’s army green sheets again.  
  
“I know. I just didn’t wanna bother any of you, you both seemed so absorbed in your studies.”  
  
A quiet scoff came from Wendy as she closed her book and got up, heading to the bed and sitting down next to her boyfriend. She lovingly put her hand on Stan’s cheek and gently caressed it until he relaxed enough to stop hiding, turning his head to face her. A small smile spread over her lips as she moved her fingers into his hair, slowly dragging it through the now messy black curls.  
  
“You can always ask for help. We both want nothing more than for you to succeed, so don’t ever feel like you can’t ask us to explain something to you. We invited you to our meets for that reason, after all.”  
  
Wendy’s voice was quiet and kind, coaxing a grateful smile out of Stan as he looked up to her lovingly, putting his hand over hers and pulling it to his mouth, gently pressing his lips against her knuckles.  
  
Kyle shifted uncomfortably, being taken aback by the intimacy of the situation. He couldn’t bear to look at the scenario unfolding in front of him.  
  
“Yeah Dude, we’re here to help you. Don’t make such a big fucking deal out of it”, he said, reopening his textbook and pretending to be unbothered.

He fully agreed with everything that Wendy had said, and he really wanted to help Stan achieve his goals, but sometimes these meets just lead to the most awkward situations. Well, awkward for him at least. Wendy and Stan both didn’t mind being affectionate in front of him. Of course they didn’t. They had been dating on and off for almost a decade now, with their latest breakup/makeup happening over one and a half years ago. And there was no sign of them having a falling out anytime soon. If anything, it seemed like their days of being in an unstable relationship were a relic of the past. Everyone could tell how happy and in love they were – almost disgustingly so.

Not that Kyle would ever say that to anyone.

“Thanks, Kyle. I couldn’t ask for a better best friend.”, he heard Stan murmur.  
  
Pretending to be absorbed into the text he was reading, he simply nodded in acknowledgement. He quickly grew frustrated as he kept re-reading the same paragraph for what felt like the millionth time, unable to focus on the content of the text as quiet dialogue, soft giggles and blatantly obvious kissing noises reached his ear from the other side of the room.

He only dared to look up again when the conversation taking place on his bed audibly changed from intimate whispers to Wendy’s patient explanations, attempting to get Stan to understand the material he’d been struggling with. They were sitting side by side, backs leaned against the headboard of his queen-sized bed, leaning against each other. One of her legs was casually thrown over his, her head resting on his broad shoulder as she was pointing at his notes. Stan kept nodding along, his bright blue eyes focused on the paper in his hands. It appeared that this time around, he actually was able to understand at least part of it.

Kyle sighed inaudibly and looked down into his textbook again, determined to make the best out of this study session.  
  
He didn’t get anything done for the rest of the afternoon.

 

* * *

  
 Wendy spent the next few hours trying to explain chemistry to Stan, one of his weakest subjects. Naturally, it wasn’t an easy feat, but from what Kyle picked up, they actually made quite a lot of progress, with the black-haired boy appearing to understand things that he'd been hung up over for months.

 As the shadows outside grew longer and the first streetlights flickered on, Kyle got up from the floor, announcing that his brain could take no more and he had to call it quits for the day. Wendy and Stan both seemed disoriented at first, they had obviously not realized how much time had gone by already.

 After gathering their stuff, they exchanged quick goodbyes with Kyle – after all, they would see each other again tomorrow at school – and took off, obviously having some plans for the evening.  
  
Kyle closed the front door behind them, standing there for a few second with the handle in his hand before leaning his forehead against the cool wood. He exhaled heavily, trying to regain his composure when he heard the kitchen door creak open behind him.

 Immediately, he straightened up and turned around to see Ike, looking at him questioning while fishing a popsicle out of its wrapper.  
  
“Everything okay with you?”, he asked as he stuffed the treat in his mouth.  
  
Kyle nodded quickly, trying his best not to cause his little brother to suspect anything. God knows Ike could be the biggest pest when trying to get involved in someone’s issues.  
  
“Yeah, I’m just a little tired. Still not used to getting up early again with school and all. No need to worry.”, he reassured.

Ike squinted his eyes slightly and nodded slowly. Then, he shrugged his shoulders, obviously deciding to just let it go, turned around and went up the stairs.  
  
Kyle sighed quietly in relief, following him upstairs after a few seconds and returning to his room, locking the door behind him. His eyes were immediately pulled to his messy, crumpled sheets. He scoffed, making his way over to his bed. Stan knew damn well that he hated having an unmade bed, one of his many pet peeves.  
  
Then again, Stan was probably too busy with other thoughts to even consider Kyle’s oddities.  
  
With a grunt, he let himself fall into the welcoming mattress. He buried his face in the same place Stan had done so just a few hours ago, slowly smoothing over the fabric of his cotton sheets, trying to calm down the storm of emotions within him.  
  
He hated himself for the way he reacted to these situations. After all this time, it shouldn’t affect him as much as it does. As a matter of fact, it shouldn’t affect him at all.  
  
Stan was his best friend, had been as far as he could think back. They had been through hell and back together and their bond was something that not many people are lucky enough to experience in a lifetime. So he should be happy for him.  
  
He should be happy for him being with most amazing girl that this joke of a town has ever produced. Wendy was everything a man could wish for.  
She was opinionated, always standing up for what she believed to be the right thing.  
She was incredibly brave, facing every obstacle in her way without a glimpse of fear.  
She was strong on behalf of others, lending everyone a helping hand who happened to need one.  
She was kind, empathic, always having an open ear, a shoulder to cry on and a good piece of advice.  
She was smart, so crazy smart.  
But most importantly, she was what made Stan happy.

Kyle couldn’t bring himself to hate her. Oh, he had tried. But after a few years of a pretty embarrassing and one-sided rivalry, he too fell victim to the charm of Wendy Testaburger. Ultimately, she was exactly the type of person he admired and wanted to be friends with, although that was hard to admit at first.  
  
She had been so quick to forgive him for the way he had treated her all these years. Starting when her and Stan first got together, Kyle has always had it out for her - and he didn't fail to show it. He felt as though he didn’t deserve her mercy. Not with what he’d done. Not with the secrets he’d been hiding from her. The secrets he was still hiding from her, even after all those years, even after their acquaintance slowly but surely developed into a deep friendship.

He felt the tears that had been dwelling up in his eyes for a while now spilling over. Burying his face further into the covers, a silent sob escaped his throat. Then another. He tried desperately to stop it, but eventually he gave in, letting his tears soak the fabric that muffled the pathetic noises spilling from his lips.

What a fool he was for believing he was over it.

He had been at this point so many fucking times, he’d lost count. In the end, he always broke down. Sometimes, he saw it coming, giving him enough time to somewhat prepare for the heartbreak, the suffocating pain. Sometimes, it came out of nowhere, a sudden wave of sadness, attempting to take him down with it.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, bawling his eyes out, trying to keep it down so nobody would hear him. After spilling all the tears he had, he slowly turned to his side, distantly staring at the wall while wrapping his arms tightly around his chest, trying to slow down his labored breathing.  
  
He truly hated himself for this.  
  
But just how could he ever stop loving Stan Marsh?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – KYLE

“I can’t believe Mrs. Price is expecting us to complete these insane assignments on time. She knows damn well how much we have on our plate right now, why would she do this?”, Kyle scoffed as he made his way through the busy hallways, flanked on either side by Wendy and Token.   
  
Pressing his heavy American Literature textbook against his chest with one hand, he unsuccessfully tried to adjust the straps of his backpack that painfully dug into his shoulders. He wasn’t a big fan of using his locker, but he had to admit, always carrying all of your school supplies when taking mainly AP and college credit classes definitely had its downsides.  
  
Wendy reached over and plucked the book from his hands, piling it on top of hers. “We really must have done something to make her hate us. I heard from Red that none of her other classes have to do this project.”  
  
“I blame it on Cartman. I swear to god, that fatass still somehow manages to ruin everything he comes in contact with.”, Kyle replied as he finally managed to get the straps into a comfortable position, maneuvering his way through the crowd, sighing in relief as he leaned against the wall next to Wendy and Token’s lockers.  
  
The latter raised an eyebrow at him as he entered his combination and put away his belongings. “Are you sure this has absolutely nothing to do with the last project we did? You know, the one where we were just supposed to analyze Twelfth Night, but you kind of implied that she looks like a dude?” He shoved the door shut forcefully – this was Park County High School after all, the likelihood of getting assigned a properly functioning locker was pretty much nonexistent.  
  
He tried to give Kyle an annoyed look, but ended up choking a chuckle when he saw the shocked look in the others’ deep green eyes, nervously muttering: “Holy shit, you think she caught on to that? I thought I was being subtle!”, the statement only causing the darker boy to snicker uncontrollably.  
  
From his other side, Kyle could hear a much less composed laughter. He turned his head to find Wendy slumped against the metal, one hand covering her mouth in a failed attempt to muffle her giggles. She took a few deep breaths and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes before attempting to speak: “I-I don’t think that anyone _didn’t_ catch on to that! Seriously, have some mercy on the poor woman, she’s tried everything to get rid of that mustache! Why-why would you ever think this was a good idea?”  
  
The red-haired boy lowered his eyes and pouted slightly, murmuring: “I don’t really remember, it just kind of made sense at the time. But that might have been my deep hatred for that woman speaking.”  
  
He lifted his gaze again as a small hand came to rest on his shoulder, Wendy smiling up at him, not a sign of irritation. Her cheeks were still flushed from her laughing fit from which she still hadn’t calmed down completely, an occasional chuckle leaving her lips. She gently patted his orange sweatshirt as she reassured him: “Ky, it’s fine. You know there’s no assignment that witch could come up with that the three of us wouldn’t ace in our sleep. We’ll just have to get together more often this week.”  
  
He couldn’t help but smile back at her. This endless optimism was one of the qualities he admired most about Wendy – she really knew how to make the best out of every situation, no matter how much it sucked. Besides, after what had happened the day before, it was good to be reassured of their friendship, reassured of the fact that he was doing the right thing by containing his emotions. He couldn’t bear to hurt her. The childlike sparkle in her chocolate eyes was the purest thing he had ever seen – how could he dare to think about taking her joy away from her? She was practically glowing from the inside out, spreading happiness wherever she went. No wonder Stan was so hopelessly in love with her.

Curse that fucking goddess.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt another hand land on his second shoulder, a much deeper voice sounding from behind him: “Yeah, don’t worry about it too much. I’m sure we will be able to figure it out – preferably after lunch though. As much as I love reminiscing over the past, I’m starving and break is like halfway over.”  
  


* * *

  
  
After walking into the overfilled cafeteria, they made some rough plans for when they wanted to meet up to work on the project and grabbed some questionable looking school lunch. Token waved a quick goodbye and made his way to his table, Clyde hollering at him from all the way over there, the other two heading in the other direction, already hearing the ruckus caused by their friends from the other side of the room.  
  
As they got closer, it became obvious that the cause of the uproar was a heated discussion between Kenny and Stan – presumably a continuation from yesterday’s debate, the issue at table being whether cats or dogs are the superior pet. 

Over the years, Kenny had picked up quite a few stray kittens whose mothers may or may not have mistaken his house for an abandoned building where they could give birth in peace. The cats often left after labor, leaving their newborn, helpless children behind. Kenny had raised them as his own, which explained his attachment to them – still, from what Kyle had heard yesterday, Stan’s arguments pro-dog, while less emotional, were definitely more compelling. Then again, he might be slightly biased.  
  
Wendy shot Kyle a quick glance, grinning at him and rolling her eyes pointedly before sliding onto the bench next to Stan and pressing a quick peck onto his lips. He wrapped his arm around her back, his hand coming to rest on her waist, fingers gently caressing her side as he softly murmured a greeting. Kyle quickly averted his gaze and took his seat on Stan’s other side, making sure to  _accidentally_ elbow him ever so slightly to get his attention. He was rewarded with a bright smile and an eager hello from his super best friend, which, as much as he hated to admit it, made his heart flutter in a way it absolutely shouldn’t. Hesitantly, Kyle returned the gesture, trying his hardest to fight the queasy feeling in his stomach.  
  
For a short moment, the two boys locked eyes. Kyle couldn’t get himself to look away, no matter how hard he tried. Considering the mental breakdown he had went through just a couple of hours ago, it probably wasn’t the best time to admire the main cause of his distress, but he just couldn’t help himself.  
  
Stan’s beauty never failed to captivate him. 

As far as he could think back, he found himself drawn to the raven-haired boy. What started out as an inexplicable attraction turned into a full-on crush as soon as Kyle hit puberty and started to figure out his sexuality. He had always thought of Stan as incredibly pretty. From his shiny, black hair that was so much silkier to the touch than one would imagine over the kind, pale blue eyes that seemed to stare right into the depths of his soul all the way to the manner in which he moved, confident yet somewhat cautious.  His face had matured over the years, harsher lines replacing the features that used to be round and slightly chubby back when they were younger. Kyle loved the way Stan had looked then, everything about him seeming soft and gentle, perfectly fitting his personality. That didn’t mean that he minded the change he had gone through though - on the contrary. As a matter of fact, his sturdy jawline and protruding cheekbones made Kyle’s knees go weak in a way that -

 “And you can even teach them how to use an actual human toilet, I mean, how dope is that? Definitely more dope than picking up their shit several times a day.”, Kenny said from the other side of the table. 

Immediately, Stan returned his full attention to the argument, finally giving Kyle some space to breathe. He didn’t realize he had held his breath until now. After taking a few seconds to calm himself down, he turned his head and peeked at his unusually quiet best friend who seemed to be deeply lost in his thoughts, obviously trying to find a compelling comeback to Kenny’s admittedly strong argument. 

He was biting his lower lip and staring at the untouched apple on his otherwise empty lunch tray, jiggling his leg nervously. The redhead couldn’t help but smile – Stan was an open book, yet another thing he adored about him. Still, with the way his leg was rubbing against his own under the table, Kyle was getting uneasy too. Normally, he would have cherished the body contact, but today, he was much more on edge than usually, so he begrudgingly scooted over a little bit. Otherwise, his heart might end up failing him before fourth period.  
  
“You know, you might have a point there. But then again, in the grand scheme of things, I think we can all agree that dogs are ever so slightly superior. As proven by the many, _many_ arguments Stan has made over the last two days.”, Wendy chimed in, gently patting her boyfriend’s thigh as she came to his rescue. He turned and beamed at her thankfully before shooting Kenny a triumphant glare. “You can’t fight the facts Ken, it’s two against one now.”

Wendy chuckled as she brought her fork up to her lips, content at how easily she could make her partner happy. Kyle felt a twinge of jealousy as he saw the way the couple interacted, every single action they took being a gesture of love to the other. 

He opened his mouth before he could give it any further thought: “Three against one, actually. Cats are abominations straight out of the depths of hell. I mean, Cartman likes them, which is proof enough to me that they can’t be anything but diabolical.” 

Then, pointing at his lunch, he added: “Besides, I’d rather not be hearing about any more arguments concerning excretion habits while I’m eating, thank you very much.”  
  
Kenny nodded thoughtfully as Cartman’s name fell. “You know, maybe you’re right Kyle. That’s a pretty strong case against my dear feline friends. But you know me, I’ve never been one to shy away from danger.”, he said, winking playfully. Dropping the topic, he turned to Butters who was sitting beside him and began to excitedly tell him about some supposedly amazing porn actress he recently found out about. Classic.

Kyle returned his attention to the soggy fries on his plate, stabbing them with his fork. He felt a familiar hand touch his leg as Stan leaned in closer to him, mouth coming uncomfortably close to his head as he whispered: “Thanks dude. I think this would have gone on forever if you hadn’t butted in, he just wouldn’t accept the truth.”  
  
A shudder went down Kyle’s spine. Stan’s breath on his ear in combination with his big, warm hand on his thigh was a little too much to handle considering his current situation. Actually, a lot too much – he needed to get out of this situation. He took a sip out of his water bottle, pretending to choke on the liquid so he could quickly turn away, fake coughing into the inside of his elbow. The hand left his leg and came to rest between his shoulders, awkwardly patting his back to help with the coughing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you”, Stan murmured apologetically, making Kyle’s inside churn. Why did this boy need to be such a fucking sweetheart?

After regaining his composure, Kyle turned towards the table again, although he still couldn’t look the other boy in the eye. “Dude, it’s fine. And you’re welcome. I’m just telling the truth”, he replied, starting to shove fries into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. His behavior was ridiculous, he knew. Kyle hated the way he sometimes acted around the person who was supposed be his best friend in the world, but every single time he thought he was ready to move on, his feelings hit him like a truck, making it almost impossible to interact with Stan without making a complete fool of himself.   
  
This had been going on for years, Kyle figuring out pretty quickly that the easiest way to get over the awkward phase after his little breakdowns was to avoid talking with Stan as much as possible, just until he got back into a comfortable place. His silence never lasted too long – usually, Stan didn’t even notice his strange behavior. At least, that was what he thought. 

Thankfully, nobody had caught onto it so far. Even if their friends had taken note of it before, they never mentioned it. He was incredibly thankful to them for not prying – everyone just kind of accepted that sometimes, he simply had his off days. Of course, they all cared for him and got worried if he behaved strangely for a longer period of time, but they usually didn’t mind one day of weird, moody Kyle.

He tuned out the conversations happening at the table as he slowed down his eating, absentmindedly nibbling on a slightly burnt and over-salted fry, waiting for the bell to ring so he could escape this awkward situation. Kyle jumped slightly as he felt someone kicking him under the table, quickly straightening up and blinking around in confusion. Everyone at the table was looking at him, making it obvious that he had been so spaced out that he completely missed someone trying to talk to him.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you that it’s rude to ignore a lady?”, Kenny asked, the cheeky grin on his face giving him away as the culprit of the physical assault. Kyle ignored him and turned to Wendy, her being the only girl sitting on their table, shooting her a small, exhausted smile. “I’m sorry, sleep deprivation got the best of me – what were you saying?”

Wendy nodded her head in understanding, but Kyle could tell by the way she ever so slightly squinted her eyes suspiciously that she didn’t really buy his story. She probably hadn’t meant to give that away, but being around her boyfriend so much, his habits had started to rub off on her, making her much easier to read than she used to be. 

“I just told them about the assignments we have to do for American Literature and Stan offered that we move our weekend study session to next week so we have more time to complete the project. Would that be okay for you, too?”

Kyle popped an orange slice into his mouth as he tilted his head, quickly considering his schedule before agreeing: “Sounds like a plan to me. We should text Token though to make sure he’s free Saturday.”

“Consider it done. His place?”, Wendy replied, phone already in hand and typing away at an astonishing speed, eyes darting across the tiny screen. 

“Obviously.”

Anyone who would decline when given the chance to go over to the Black’s mansion was a maniac. Kyle’s family was far from poor, but Token’s was something entirely different. Back when they were kids, the two boys never played with each other, so when Kyle first set foot on Dark Meadows Estates in seventh grade, he was rendered speechless and couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t befriend Token earlier. Obviously, he was aware of the reason: Stan’s super best friend couldn’t just go around buddy up with members of Craig’s gang. Looking back, that was fucking stupid. Oh well, the things he would do for a certain boy.

“He says to come over at 3 pm. We can stay for dinner if it ends up taking too long. Pick you up five minutes before?”, she said without looking up from the screen, her fingers still flying over the virtual keyboard, making arrangements at the speed of light.   
  
“Thanks Wends, that would be great”, he replied smiling at her, truly genuine this time. His parents had been out of town for the better part of the last week, leaving him stranded at home without a car. Her remembering it and saving him from a half an hour walk in the unpleasant South Park autumn weather, which usually consisted of rain with a not so small chance of hail, warmed his heart.

With all the gushing about how thankful he was about having such an amazing friend, Kyle had almost forgotten about the boy perched between the two of them. Almost. 

When Stan cleared his throat to say something, Kyle’s head immediately whipped around to offer him all of his attention. Damn, it was embarrassing how much of a lapdog he was for his crush, worshipping the very ground he walked on, hanging on his every word. 

Just when Stan was about to open his mouth, the piercing sound of the bell ringing filled the room, making Kyle flinch in surprise. His eyes, however, remained locked with the other boy’s, waiting for what he had to say. For a short moment, the blue orbs he was staring into seemed to be filled with uncertainness, Stan pressing his lips together and swallowing visibly, making his Adam’s apple bob. He then quickly averted his gaze, obviously having decided against speaking up as he quickly gathered his stuff, got up from the lunch table and stiffly walked away, leaving behind a confused Kyle. 

Now that the boy between them was gone, he found himself blankly staring at Wendy who had watched the situation unfold quietly from her seat next to Stan’s. She slightly shook her head into his direction, signaling him to just let it be for the time being, before standing up herself and waiting up for Kyle to get ready, making idle chat with the other people on the table. It seemed like nobody else had noticed the strange moment between the two guys, thank god. He quickly slipped into the shoulder straps of his backpack, grabbing his empty lunch tray and saying goodbye to his friends before making his way to the exit of the cafeteria, Wendy trailing closely behind him, wisely leaving him alone with his thoughts. 

He couldn’t quite wrap his head around what had just happened – had Stan caught onto him acting weird and wanted to confront him? Hopefully not, maybe he just wanted to talk about something awkward and didn’t want everyone else to know about it. Yes, that must have been it – he would probably text him later today, maybe even come over. Jesus Christ, he hoped Stan wouldn’t come over, that would just be terribly awkward. Then again, he didn’t want to let his best friend down, so if he ever felt the need to talk in person, Kyle would obviously listen to what he had to say, trying to help him as best as he could. But did Stan really need his help _today_?

He ended up overthinking the incident all day, his subconscious coming up with the wildest ideas. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his classes, he couldn’t get the way Stan had looked at him out of his mind. There was no way to confront him at school, their different schedules only allowing them so see each other at lunch, and after classes ended, Stan would be busy with football practice, meaning Kyle had to wait until late afternoon before he could try to resolve this issue. If he even wanted to, that is. 

Wendy obviously knew what was going on, from the way she had acted after Stan stormed off to the worried glances she kept shooting him from across the classroom from time to time. She most likely wasn’t at liberty to say, otherwise she would relieve him from his misery. Probably. Kyle sighed heavily and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose to fight the throbbing headache he could feel building up. 

His feelings for Stan would be his fucking downfall.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your positive feedback so far!
> 
> For some reason, I had such a hard time writing this chapter, it's not even funny. But it's finally done and I'm super excited for where this story is gonna go!
> 
> Also, guess who's pushing the dog agenda. Cats are cute too tho.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for mental health issues I guess? Please take care of yourself.

Chapter 3 – KYLE

Kyle hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but with all the stress he had been putting on himself, it was only a matter of time before his body decided it needed to shut down for a while. He just wished it didn’t make that decision while he was looking over his early admission college applications one last time before turning them in and, more importantly, checking his phone every other minute, waiting for Stan to get in touch with him.

It was blatantly obvious that something had been bugging the other boy earlier that day and given how close they were, it was very unusual for him to not have confided in him yet. Sure, sometimes you need time to figure out a problem by yourself, but it never took more than a few hours for either of them to come running – after all, they were best friends. There was nothing they couldn’t tell each other (with one exception, of course), so Kyle was starting to get worried when Stan still hadn’t texted him well after he knew for a fact his football practice should be over.

After a while, he gave up on revising his portfolio and just curled up in bed, chewing on his bottom lip (yet another bothersome habit of his) while anxiously staring at his phone screen, waiting for a message to pop up. While going over the million things that could be bugging the person most important to him, he didn’t even notice the way his eyes grew heavier and his mind began to fade out of consciousness.

Sleep wasn’t kind to him that day – as a matter of fact, it rarely was these days. Although he would never admit to it, his school and private life combined with planning his future definitely took a toll on him. His head was constantly overflowing with things he had to do, things he had to remember, things he should have done differently, feelings he should forget. Even at night, he couldn’t find peace most days. His dreams were incoherent and plentiful, causing him to drift in and out of sleep for hours, finding himself more exhausted in the morning than he was before he went to bed. Many times, he would wake up covered in sweat, the speed his racing heartbeat matching the rhythmic pounding behind his temples. This was one of the few things he wouldn’t share with Stan. At least not anymore.

He was startled out of his light sleep when he felt his phone vibrate in his hand. Quickly, he brought the device up to his face, wincing slightly as the bright screen blinded his eyes. He closed them for a few seconds so they could adjust to the light, realizing that he must have been asleep for a few hours, given how his room was pitch black now. When he finally read the message on his lock screen, his heart sunk in his chest. Of course it was just his mom checking in on him and Ike, same as every night since her and his dad left town for some weird convention slash romantic getaway. Kyle typed a short but satisfying answer, worrying Sheila and causing her to freak out was the last thing he needed right now.  

After hitting send, he opened his chat with Stan, scanning over the last few texts they had sent each other, hoping to find some answers to the many questions on his mind. He then tapped on his profile pic – a much too adorable shot of Stan hugging his dog Sparky – and slowly caressed Stan’s virtual face with his forefinger before realizing his behavior and quickly pulling back his hand. Fuck, that was just plain creepy.

This was so dumb. Why couldn’t he just text him first? After all, that’s what any friend would do in this situation. He was dumb. Kyle nervously began chewing on his bottom lip again as he began to write his message to Stan, deleting the thing over and over again, trying to find the right words to say, his thumb hovering over the send button for much too long. Finally, he gently tapped the screen, immediately pressing his face against his pillow and breathing heavily, trying to get his anxiety under control.

_(21:38) You ok?_

After a few seconds, he felt his phone vibrate in his hand. So Stan was not busy after all. Maybe he had been trying to reach out to him all day, sitting there with his leg jiggling nervously, unable to figure out what to say? Kyle shook his head. Probably not. No way Stan would get that worked up over a simple conversation with him. But a man could dream.

**(21:39) not sure. you?**

So he had noticed his strange behavior after all. Great. Kyle read over the three words several times, warning bells ringing in his head. Stan’s mental health tended to be affected by the seasons, but usually, his depression would not hit him super hard this early in fall. Maybe it simply came earlier this year, but there could also be something else bugging him. Either way, it wasn’t something Kyle took lightly. So, he did what any sensible human being would do. He lied.

_(21:40) i’m fine. worried abt you tho. what was going on at lunch today?_

The response came immediately.

**(21:40) good, im glad**

**(21:40) idk, just feeling weird i guess**

**(21:41) sorry to make u worry, nothing really**

Yeah, that settled it. No way was Kyle going to put his silly issues over an unrequited crush above Stan’s mental wellbeing. After all, he loved that boy with every fiber of his body. He needed Stan to be alright, needed to be there for him.

The shame of overlooking all the warning signs and even distancing himself from Stan when he first slipped into depression still ate away at him. They might have been kids back then, but god damn it, Kyle always thought he was the smartest fucking kid around. He sure was proved wrong. Back then, he promised himself he’d never let his best friend down like that again, no matter what.

_(21:43) wanna come over & talk?_

 

**(21:44) be there in 5**

* * *

 

Carefully sipping on his scorching hot tea, Kyle continuously shot small glances in Stan’s direction. The black haired boy sat on his bed, slumped against the headboard as he wrapped his fingers around the cup in his hand, staring into the whipped cream on top of his hot chocolate like it held answers to all the mysteries of the universe. If only he looked hard enough, perhaps he could figure everything out.

Over the years, Kyle had learned how to help Stan whenever he got worse. At first, his attempts were clumsy at best. Being showed into a situation with no clear solution made him anxious. There was no guide on how to deal with your best friend feeling absolutely miserable for no particular reason, over and over again. His words and actions ended up being counterproductive more often than not, but as the years went on, Kyle learned from his mistakes. He knew now that silence didn’t always need to be filled, that company could be the best form of comfort and distraction was not always the way to go.

And, well, given that Stan was just an ginormous man-child, hot chocolate seemed to be pretty helpful, too. Kyle had first made some for him years ago and ever since, he’d made it his mission to learn how to make the best cup of hot choc around. It was the least he could do.

“I, uhm, changed medication a few weeks ago. None of the mood stabilizers we’ve tried so far have been working out for me in the long run. I guess this one is another miss.”, Stan finally spoke in a hushed voice, bringing the cup up to his lips and taking a small sip.

He looked so small and fragile, his legs pulled up against his chest, hair a mess, eyes bloodshot and framed by dark circles. Kyle slowly leaned back against the headboard next to him, his shoulder almost touching the other boy’s. After years of cycling in and out of depression accompanied by pretty unsuccessful therapy sessions and medication, frequent encounters with alcoholism and one suicide attempt, Stan had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder fourteen months ago after finally dumping his terrible psychologist and going up to Denver to find a new one. The treatment itself had been going pretty well so far, apart from finding meds that didn’t mess with his body or, alternatively, worked at all.

Kyle allowed himself to move closer to Stan, pressing their sides together and responding: “I’m sorry dude, that sucks.” He nervously chewed on his lips, trying to figure out what to say next. Finally, he whispered: “Since when?”

Stan closed his eyes and exhaled heavily, drinking from his hot chocolate again before resting his head on Kyle’s shoulder. He spoke quietly: “I’ve kind of been feeling it coming for a week or so. I thought that maybe the meds would work, and I didn’t want to bother you. You seem really stressed out right now. Both you and Wendy.” He paused for a second, fumbling around with the cup in his hand. “It’s been getting worse over the last two days I guess. It hasn’t been this bad in a while. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I really should have.”

Kyle’s heart fell at his best friend’s confession. Once again, he had completely missed it – and not just some minor depressive episode. Stan wasn’t doing well and he didn’t even realize, wasting all of his energy on pitying himself. Sure, Stan always tried to hide when he got bad from everyone around him so he wouldn’t make them worry, but Kyle out of all people should have noticed.  He brought his hand up into Stan’s hair, slowly dragging his fingers through the unruly strands, gently scraping over his scalp with his fingernails.

For a while, the two of them just sat there, their drinks cooling down in their hands, Kyle lovingly running his fingers through Stan’s hair until he felt some of the tension leave the other boy’s body. He slowly let his hand wander, caressing Stan’s cheek with his knuckles and making eye contact as he asked: “Did anything trigger it?”

His eyes. He should have been able to tell just by looking at them. Stan’s gaze was ever so slightly more lidded than usual, the pale blue of his irises seeming washed out and faded. Normally, they were so bright and full of life, but now, Kyle found himself staring into a somber pond of nothingness, pupils blown wide open, hesitantly staring back at him. Stan swallowed visibly before blinking several times, then he slowly shook his head and murmured “Nothing in particular”, breaking eye contact as he stared down and fidgeted with his hands.

Kyle narrowed his eyes. Something was not right about this. But pressuring Stan to tell him wouldn’t be the right thing to do in this situation. He would surely tell him when the time was right. Deciding to drop the issue, he nodded in acknowledgement, taking Stan’s cold cup from his hands and placing it on his nightstand before pulling his head into his lap so he could continue petting his best friend’s hair to comfort him. Stan quickly eased into his touch, his labored breathing evening out as the minutes went by.

Finally, Kyle gathered the courage to ask him another question. He didn’t mean to probe, but he just had to know.

“What exactly happened at lunch today?”

Kyle held his breath and counted his heartbeats as Stan remained silent in his lap, the tip of his index finger nervously tapping against Kyle’s thigh where he had rested his hand before. After what seemed like hours, he finally spoke up: “We were supposed to have a sleepover on Saturday. I think you forgot with all you have going on and it’s not that big of a deal but I was just… I was really looking forward to it. We haven’t been spending too much time alone together lately with school and all that and… I miss you Kyle. I’m just so used to spending every second with you like we did in the summer holidays. But now… I mean, I love that you and Wendy are getting along now, but it’s just not the same when we all hang out together. Man, I’m being difficult again, aren’t I? I mean, I’ve been wanting the two of you to get along since elementary school, but now I’m jealous because I want to spend time with you alone. It’s so stupid. I’m stupid. Actually, forget about it. This is such a dumb thing to be upset about. Really, don’t…”

Kyle placed his fingers over Stan’s mouth to stop his rambling. How could he have been thoughtless enough to forget about the fucking sleepover? They had promised to basically spend most of the weekend together. Of course Stan was upset. He inhaled deeply before slowly lifting his hand, signaling for his best friend to be quiet when he opened his mouth again, obviously intending to go on with the apologies. Geez, what was it with Stan and apologizing when it was obviously _him_ who had messed up?

“You’re not stupid, I am. I’m sorry, I totally forgot. There’s no excuse for that, I just got overwhelmed with school stuff. We will still do the sleepover, I’ll text you the second I get home from Token’s and you come over and we will spend all of Sunday together. Would that be okay?”

He was taken aback by the tears that began forming in Stan’s eyes as he nodded viciously, biting down on his fist to choke back his sobs. Without wasting another thought on it, Kyle tightly wrapped his arms around his best friend, rubbing small circles on his back as he whispered apologies. He was afraid his heart would break in two, seeing the boy he cared for so much such a mess and being unable to ease his pain always hurt like hell. Stan pressed his face tightly against Kyle’s collarbone, his tears soaking the fabric of his shirt.

Crying was yet another thing that helped Stan. Sometimes, he just needed to get it all out of his system.

Slowly but surely, the muffled sobs coming from Kyle’s shoulders became less frequent, eventually dying down completely. He still held Stan tight, fingers running up and down the older boy’s spine, taking in the way his shuddering breath met his exposed neck. After sitting in silence for a while, Stan murmured against the bare skin of his throat: “I’d like that. I just really need you right now. I mean, I always do. I love you, Kyle.”

For a split second, Kyle froze, quickly returning to his comforting gestures when he caught himself hesitating. When the words left his lips, they held an entirely different meaning.

“I love you too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who here asked for angst? Nobody? Oh well.
> 
> Stan is my sweet son who must be protected. 
> 
> (Also, thank you all for your positive feedback, it really makes my day every time someone comments or leaves a kudos! I hope you'll continue to enjoy my fanfiction.)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason (other than me being a stressed out mess) this chapter took me forever to write. I hope y'all can forgive me, I'll try to upload more often from now on. Also, this is the first chapter with a different POV! We'll probably end up having a few of those, so I hope you'll enjoy it!

Chapter 4 – WENDY  
  
Wendy stared into the tiny mirror and hastily brushed her fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ears just to bring it into her face again in an attempt to make the mop on top of her head look somewhat presentable. Single strands were stubbornly sticking out in all directions, her bangs kept obscuring her field of vision and the newfound volume at her roots was something she wasn’t quite able to handle yet. Sometimes, she really missed her old hairstyle and how low maintenance it was.

With a heavy sigh, she slammed the small flap above her head shut and directed her whole attention towards the house in front of her. Something was off. She had been out here waiting for five minutes now. She couldn’t think of the last time she had to wait for Kyle when he knew she was coming over – punctuality was very important to him, so he always was ready when she pulled into the driveway.

Subconsciously, she began chewing on her lower lip, tucking the jet black strands of hair that kept falling into her eyes behind her ear once again. Curse Kyle for even giving her time to worry about her stupid hair. Should she get out and ring the doorbell? Or would that be uncalled for? After all, she had honked when she arrived, so Kyle surely was getting ready. There must have been something holding him up.

Just as she was about to open the driver’s door and walk up to the porch, the wooden front door swung open, revealing a nervous looking, tall redhead with a book pressed firmly against his chest. His eyes darted in her direction for a second, then he quickly turned his head, speaking with someone behind him. Wendy squirted her eyes in suspicion. As far as she knew, Kyle’s parents shouldn’t get home until Sunday evening, and Ike would never voluntarily get up this early on a weekend. So who could be in the house with him?

Her question was quickly answered as another, slightly shorter figure entered the doorway, all too familiar striking blue eyes lighting up when setting eyes on her. Even from the distance, she could tell that Stan was looking exhausted, but that didn’t seem to stop him from sending her his brightest smile and enthusiastically waving at her before making his way over. She pressed the button to lower the driver’s side window, shooting Kyle a confused look in the process. As much as she adored her boyfriend, he was definitely not supposed to be here right now.

“Babe! You’re up early, everything alright?”, Stan greeted her as the stuck his head through the opening in the door, gently pressing his lips against hers. She smiled against his mouth and playfully swatted at his hand resting on the window sill after they separated,  taking in the stark contrast between his slightly flushed cheeks and the dark shadows under his subtly bloodshot eyes while quickly trying to find a believable excuse.

She slipped her hand into Stan’s and intertwined their fingers, replying sarcastically: “Good morning to you too. Believe me, I wouldn’t be up if I could help it, but I suppose it’s a sacrifice I have to make. I’m actually here because I need Ky..”  
  
“Kyle to give me back my calculus textbook, yes! Thanks for borrowing it to me Wends, I still don’t know how I managed to lose mine. I’ve really been all over the place lately.”, Kyle interrupted her, popping up behind Stan with a forced smile on his lips. Her boyfriend moved out of the way to make space for his best friend who quickly took his place and handed her the book, eyes quietly pleading to go along with the story.

Wendy’s fingers briefly brushed his as she grabbed what she assumed to be Kyle’s own textbook, carefully dropping it on the seat next to her. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry as she mustered her friend’s exhausted face, nodding ever so slightly to let him know that she would handle the situation. Without missing a beat, she said: “Thank you, I really need to cram today! I feel like you should relax today though, you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”

Kyle immediately opened his mouth, probably to assure her that he was fine and that there was no need to worry, just like he always did whenever someone suggested he take it easy, when Stan quietly chimed in from over his shoulder: “Yeah dude, I think Wendy is right. You need to slow down from time to time, otherwise you’ll mess yourself up with all the expectations you set for yourself. I don’t want to see you overexert yourself, okay?”

The words obviously got stuck in his throat as Kyle closed his mouth and swallowed, head slowly turning to face his best friend, whose hand came to rest on his shoulder. Slightly tilting her head, Wendy observed the silent conversation happening between the boys in front of her. Tired, blue eyes were relentlessly staring at the redhead, the expression lying somewhere between accusatory and concerned. Kyle seemed to get smaller by the second, although physically, he was towering over everyone else.

It was rare for Stan to get involved in Kyle’s business.

When they first got together years ago, Wendy assumed it was due to him being dense and not picking up on other people’s emotions, or, when her opinion of him was worse during breakups, perhaps due to selfishness and indifference. However, as the years passed and their relationship matured, she found that Stan was much more observant than anyone ever gave him credit for. Rarely ever was he unaware of someone’s feelings. Rather, he held the firm belief that sometimes, people had to deal with their problems at their own pace, that any involvement could slow down or even hinder their progress. So, for him to address an issue, things had to be looking pretty bleak.

Kyle made the decision not to deny his blatantly obvious issues – a good call, Wendy thought to herself – and simply nodded, his vibrant, green eyes opened wide, gaze interlocked with Stan’s, unable to look away.

Somehow, Wendy felt like she wasn’t supposed to be here. She tried her best to fight the pang of jealousy that suddenly hit her – after all, she definitely wanted Kyle to take her concerns serious. She didn’t know what was wrong with Stan backing her up on this.

Awkwardly, she cleared her throat in an attempt to ease the palpable tension between the boys. Kyle jumped slightly at the noise, quickly scrambling away from Stan and whipping his head in her direction. From the corner of her eyes, she could see how her boyfriend looked at his flustered best friend for a little longer before returning his attention to her, the sternness in his look slowly returning to its usual gentleness.

“It’s two against one here, just count your losses.”, she jokingly said, trying to return the conversation to its initial carelessness. “You better relax until I pick you up later, be prepared to face the consequences otherwise.”, she continued, bringing two fingers up to her eyes before pointing them in his direction with a playful glare. She then turned to her boyfriend, keeping up the strict look while laying her hands on his chest and pulling him in her direction by his collar: “You, mister, shouldn’t take it too easy though.”

Stan obediently lowered his head and stuck it through her window, his quiet laughter filling her ears before his lips lovingly came to rest on hers. Ah yes, much better. There wasn’t a single sound on this world more beautiful than the genuine laugh of the man she loved. Actually, her Top 3 favorite noises probably were entirely made up from various sounds he made – some less PG than others. After a few seconds, she gently pushed him away from her, trying to show at least some consideration for Kyle. She turned the key in the ignition and shifted into reverse gear before shouting out the window: “I’ll call you tonight, okay? Love you. See you later, Kyle!”

“I love you too. Bye!”, her boyfriend called out after her, waving enthusiastically. How cute.  
  
She didn’t catch Kyle’s quiet “Bye, Wends.” over the roaring of her car’s engine.

* * *

On her way over to Tweek Bros., Wendy’s phone had been buzzing pretty much non-stop, 17 unread messages awaiting her once she had pulled into the parking lot. Most of them were flustered apologies from Kyle, the last message assuring her that he had managed to get rid of Stan and that it was safe for her to come over and pick him up now. She quickly shot him a text, telling him that she’d be over in a few minutes before shoving her phone into her back pocket and making her way into the coffee shop.

As she opened the door, she was greeted by the delicious scent of freshly brewed coffee, the friendly chiming of a small bell announcing the arrival of a costumer, a loud crash and a not so friendly: “GAH! For fucks sake, we’re opening in 15 minutes! I swear to God, you assholes need to learn how to fucking read!” from somewhere behind the counter. She chuckled to herself and started walking towards the voice, standing on her tip toes and leaning over the edge to see Tweek clumsily picking up the shards of what must have been a cup just seconds ago.

“Good morning to you, too.”, she said for the second time this day. Man, what was it with guys and greeting normally today?

Immediately, Tweek’s head shot up, his wide, baby blue eyes staring at her as a twitch went through his body and he dropped all of the pieces he had collected once again. “Jesus Wendy! D-don’t sneak up on me like that! I mean – sorry! I didn’t see you. You’re n-not an asshole, obviously. Man, what are you even DOING here?”

“You don’t have to be sorry, _I’m_ sorry that I startled you, Tweekers. Are you okay?”, she asked as she made her way around the counter, kneeling down and assisting the twitching boy in picking up the broken pieces. She held her hands out for him to drop them all into her palms, got up, carefully dumped them into the trash before taking Tweek’s hands into hers and turning them around, inspecting them for cuts.

“Nhhg, I’m fine.”, he insisted, his stuttering slowly but surely fading away as her eyes scanned his pale skin, her slender fingers carefully smoothing over it. She opened a drawer next to her, taking out a small box of band-aids and placing one around his index finger, giving him a thumbs-up once she was done patching him up.

Wendy leaned against the counter and unconsciously played with the band aid, inspecting the small cartoon dinosaurs with a tiny smile before speaking up: “Alright. Now that that’s taken care of, I’ll let you in on the reason I’m here at this ungodly hour.” “And no, it’s not because aliens have taken over my body and are unaware of my usual routine, thus giving themselves away. But it’s a good guess.”, she added as he opened his mouth.

“Kyle and I need to go shopping for Stan’s birthday, so I went to pick him up. You’ll never guess who left the house with him, though.”

Tweek’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, was it Cartman? GAH, so the rumors are true after all???”, he practically screeched, a shiver running down his back.

It was impossible for Wendy not to break out into laughter. Yes, everyone was aware of the disgusting rumors that made their rounds, but nobody but her blonde, paranoid friend would ever believe that kind of gossip. Wiping a single tear from the corner of her eye, she replied: “No, I think Kyle would rather kill himself then have those stories come true. Stan was there. So I’m hiding out here, waiting for the coast to clear. I kinda forgot you guys open half an hour later on weekends, sorry.”  
  
“Man, thank God! I don’t think I’d be able to look Kyle in the eye if that ever happened.”, Tweek said, his body involuntarily twitching as he scrunched his face up in disgust. He quickly shook his head as if to get rid of the thoughts, focusing his attention on Wendy again: “Why would Kyle let Stan sleep over then, though? That’s not like him.”  
  
Wendy shrugged and opened the glass cabinet, inspecting the baked goods inside before grabbing a blueberry muffin from its plate. “I honestly don’t know. He’s been all over the place lately, maybe he forgot.”, she muffled as she took a bite of it, closing her eyes for a moment. The muffin was still a little warm in her hand, fresh out of the oven, none of that prepackaged shit other coffee shops sometimes served. Tweek was a fucking god when it came to baking, but he only provided for the bakery on weekends, when he had time.  
  
Tweek slightly tilted his head, blue doe-eyes staring at her with uncertainty. “Yeah, maybe… he has been acting strange. I hope he’s okay.”  
  
She swallowed and hesitated for a second before taking another bite. “I’m sure he is. _Anyway,_ oh master of the brew, would you do me the honor of making me an extra strong coffee? God knows I’ll need it today. Oh, and I’ll take one of those caramel ones for Kyle, please.”  
  
“Coming right up!”, Tweek replied, his back already turned to her, the scent of fresh coffee filling the air as he filled up the grinder with beans. Wendy leaned back against the counter, observing her friend while nibbling on her muffin. His passion for coffee was adorable – Tweeks Bros.’ coffee was barely drinkable when he wasn’t on duty. Although, even if it were, drinking it probably wasn’t the best idea, given the (probably-not-untrue) rumors about the Tweaks spiking their beverages with God knew what.

But whenever Tweek touched a coffee machine, something magical seemed to happen. She had yet to meet somebody who didn’t enjoy whatever he would whip up for them. As he inserted the ground beans into the coffee maker, he seemed to hesitate for a second. “By the way, is something going on between Kyle and Stan?”  
  
Wendy’s hand froze in mid-air, her muffin coming to an halt a few inches before her lips. She was glad that Tweek wasn’t facing her at the moment, otherwise, he would have noticed her off look immediately. Of course there was something going on. You’d have to be blind to miss that. She just wasn’t a part of it.

“Not that I’m aware of. Why are you asking?”, she replied hastily, unwilling to let the silence give it away. Surely, Stan would confide in her soon – after all, they could talk to each other about everything.  
  
Immediately, the blonde got back to work, forcing a laugh in an unsuccessful attempt to ease the tension: “No reason, really, just something stupid Craig said. Forget about it.”

Social interaction wasn’t exactly Tweek’s forte. Wendy chuckled, quickly changing the topic to help out her awkward friend: “Anyways, speaking of Stan’s birthday! You and Craig are both coming, right? Any cake but yours would be a total disaster, and can you imagine how disappointed Stan would be if Craig didn’t show up? He’d probably lock himself in his room and spend all night crying.”

This time, the laughter wasn’t forced. He placed the two beverages in a container and handed them to her, replying with a huge smile on his face: “Thanks for inviting my jerky boyfriend. I’ll try to keep him away from our birthday boy.”

“I could never get in the way of your love. I’ll do my part, too – the way they’re always glaring at each other, I’m unsure if they’re gonna start a fistfight or jump each other.”  
  
Tweek stifled a chuckle. “Wanna place your bets in case we fail?”  
  
“Let’s not let it get to that”, Wendy grinned at him, sliding a twenty dollar bill across the counter and ignoring all words of protest as she quickly made her way out of the shop.

* * *

Kyle let himself plop into the passenger seat beside her, smashed the door shut behind him, leaned his forehead against the dashboard and exhaled heavily. The poor guy was practically oozing with exhaustion, his unruly, red curls for once not hidden, but clearly knotted. Wendy sympathetically started patting his back, quietly asking: “Rough night buddy?”

He simply nodded, taking a moment to regain his composure, then straightening his back and letting his head crash against the headrest, tired, piercing eyes meeting hers. If Stan looked like death this morning, Kyle was the grim reaper himself.

Without saying another word, Wendy shoved one of the styrofoam cups into his hands, Tweek’s shaky handwriting indicating the content. She turned the key in the ignition, turned on her blinker, looked over her shoulder and backed out of the driveway.

For a while, neither of them said anything, the only noise disrupting the silence being Kyle’s occasional slurping. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable – sure to say she was curious about what was going on would have been an understatement, but it wasn’t much like her to pry. Also, it probably wouldn’t have been appreciated. Kyle was the kind of person who needed time to collect their thoughts before they’d start talking. It was like he was always walking on eggshells.

“Thanks for the coffee, s’ good. Tweek work today?”, he finally murmured after them being on the road for a few minutes.

Wendy smiled, not taking her eyes off the road while signaling him to hand her her own cup, taking a sip and sighing in pure bliss. “You looked like you’d need it. And yes, the coffee god himself has blessed us today. Although I don’t get how you can enjoy that sickeningly sweet shit.”

Kyle chuckled next to her, although it didn’t seem completely genuine. A couple of moments passed before he spoke again, even quieter this time.

“He hasn’t talked to you about it yet, has he?”

Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel, the color draining from her knuckles. Of course. She tried to swallow the ugly feeling that started swelling up in her chest, making her heart flutter and her stomach coil. It was wrong to blame Stan or Kyle for this, she knew that. But it sure did hurt every single time.  
  
“No, he hasn’t. I’m sure he’ll come around, though. You know he always does.”, she eventually answered. He really did – most of the time, Stan just felt more comfortable confiding in his best friend before turning to her to discuss his issues. It wasn’t like he ever hid anything from her, quite the contrary. Her boyfriend just really always took his sweet time before telling her what was wrong with him. Usually enough time for most people to notice that something was off.

Fingers gently brushed over her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. Softly, Kyle spoke: “I’m sorry, Wends. He’s a big idiot. I’m sure he’s gonna come running soon. You know how much he adores you, how much he needs you… I think he doesn’t want to bother you with his problems.”  
  
Damn. Leave it up to Kyle to see through her façade every single time. As much as she tried to keep her voice leveled, she couldn’t hide the hurt in it: “He should bother me, though. That’s _literally_ what I’m here for. It’s not your fault though, Kyle. And it’s going to be okay.”

She pulled into the parking lot of the mall, turning of the engine and blinked, stubbornly holding back the tears she felt stinging in her eyes as she continued: ”I just wish I didn’t feel this way whenever this happens. I know he trusts me, and I know we’re doing good. We’re doing so, _so_ good. There’s just this small, nagging voice in the back of my head that won’t shut up about it.  But I know that’s something I have to work on and neither of you are responsible for that.”

Kyle was still gently rubbing her shoulder, waiting for the worst of it to pass. When her grip on the steering wheel loosened and her breath started evening out, he said: “It’s fine to feel bad from time to time, you know. You don’t always have to be this perfect, calm, collected person. Jealousy is normal, and it’s okay for you to have negative emotions sometimes. Although I know you hate that. But it’s not who you are, and I know you’d never let it consume you.”

He gingerly took her hand in his, intently staring her down, hesitating for a second before carrying on: “We all get jealous sometimes. I’m sure there are many things that he only entrusts to you. I didn’t get the whole story last night, I think he felt bad about burdening me or something – hell, I practically forced him to talk to me. He surely feels the same way about talking to you. But you know he never takes too long. He loves you so much.”  
  
As she pulled Kyle into her arms, she caught a quick glance of the surprised look on his face. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her small hands coming to rest just below his shoulder blades. At first, he didn’t react, but when she whispered a quiet thanks, he wrapped his arms around her in return, gently patting her back. And although she couldn’t see it, it was impossible not to feel his big smile against her hair.

* * *

Half an hour, a couple of heartfelt words and two more coffees later they found themselves in front of the store they’d been targeting. Wendy turned to Kyle, anxiously chewing on the straw of her iced coffee, mumbling: “Did you talk to Sharon about it?”  
  
The redhead was suspiciously observing the object in the window, quickly glancing in Wendy’s direction as he answered: “Yup. She loves the idea.”  
  
She threw the empty cup into the trash and pushed open the door, holding it open for Kyle and excitedly grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah, I think it’s perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S22/E1: If anything happened to my son I will kill everyone in this room and then me.  
> (Side note: Straights really DO get shot on sight 2k18)


End file.
